&w=3840&q=100)
Oil-drilling ship capsized in Gulf of Suez, killing at least 4, says Egypt
The drilling ship overturned Tuesday evening off the city of Ras Ghareb, on the African side of the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea's northwestern arm and a crucial shipping route, the Petroleum Ministry said in a statement.
There were 30 workers on board when the drilling ship capsized, said Amr Hanafy, governor of the Red Sea province.
Rescue teams recovered four bodies and rescued 22 others who were taken to hospitals, he said.
He said ships from the Egyptian navy joined the search-and-rescue efforts which were still ongoing overnight for four missing crewmen.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the drilling ship to capsize and authorities say investigations were ongoing. Local media reported it was being tugged for excavations in another area when it overturned.
The capsizing happened in an area called Gabel el-Zeit, a prominent Egyptian oil production site around 300 kilometres south of the Suez Canal, the ministry said in a statement.
The capsizing didn't disrupt vessels transiting through the canal, which links the Gulf of Suez to the Mediterranean Sea, Adm. Ossam Rabei, head of the canal authority, said.
Rabei said in a statement that 33 vessels were scheduled to transit Wednesday through the global waterway.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
National Fried Chicken Day: A look at the untold Black history behind the much-loved dish
July 6 is celebrated as National Fried Chicken Day—a date that sees people across the U.S. (and beyond) indulging in one of the world's most universally loved comfort foods. But while fried chicken enjoys global popularity, from karaage in Japan to chimaek in South Korea, there's a side of its story that many people don't know. Behind the golden crust and juicy bite lies a history that's far less appetizing: one tied deeply to slavery, racial stereotypes, and exploitation. So as you dig into your favorite fried chicken today, let's take a moment to explore how this dish became so closely associated with Black culture in America, and how that relationship has shaped both its perception and its power. Fried chicken's roots: African hands, southern kitchens Long before it was bucketed and branded, fried chicken emerged at the crossroads of African and European food traditions in the American South. Scottish immigrants arrived in the 1700s with a habit of battering and deep-frying meat. At the same time, nearly half a million West Africans were brought to America as slaves, many with their own practices of frying, braising, and seasoning poultry. Enslaved African-Americans were often forced to cook for plantation households and, over time, refined and elevated the fried chicken recipe. While white landowners generally favored beef and pork, chickens, considered cheap and inferior, were left to roam yards and garbage heaps. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like "대상포진" 사라져 진짜 감사해요,,, 카이스트 박사의 '이것.'' 면역력 Rg3의 비결 더 알아보기 Undo That neglect gave the enslaved some control. Since chickens weren't banned in slave codes (unlike pigs, horses, or cows), many Black families raised them for eggs, meat, and income. Chickens were traded, eaten, or sold, offering a rare thread of autonomy in a brutal system. The labor of frying chicken was intense: birds had to be caught, killed, scalded, plucked, gutted, singed, and butchered before even reaching the frying pan. In Virginia and Maryland, two distinct frying methods emerged: deep frying in lard, and skillet-frying under a lid, served with gravy. Mary Randolph, a white woman from a slaveholding family, published the first known recipe for Southern fried chicken in her 1824 cookbook The Virginia House-Wife, a recipe almost certainly built on the labor and knowledge of the Black cooks in her home. How racism distorted the dish After emancipation, fried chicken became a lifeline for many Black women in the South. In Gordonsville, Virginia, once dubbed the fried chicken capital of the world—Black women sold chicken through train windows to passengers when dining cars were still a rarity. According to scholar Psyche Williams-Forson in Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs, fried chicken enabled these women to achieve financial independence, buy property, and support their families. But that empowerment came with backlash. By the late 1800s, a racist myth was brewing: that Black Americans had a strange, almost mystical craving for fried chicken. The New York Times published an 1882 article claiming that 'in the breast of every coloured man' lived an 'ineradicable yearning for chickens.' Absurd courtroom trials followed, one 1876 case in Virginia brought a mother hen to testify against a Black woman accused of theft. The chicken's supposed recognition of her chick led to a conviction and 39 lashes. This image of Black people as obsessive chicken thieves became common in American pop culture. The 1915 film The Birth of a Nation—which glorified the Ku Klux Klan—featured a scene of a Black legislator eating fried chicken with his feet on a desk, meant to symbolize sloth, excess, and incompetence. Even in recent times, this stereotype lingers. Many Black Americans remain wary of eating fried chicken in public, aware of the racial assumptions still attached. Who owns the recipe? And who gets left behind Despite Black cooks being the backbone of Southern fried chicken's legacy, it was a white man—Harland 'Colonel' Sanders—who built a global empire from it. In the 1930s, Sanders began serving fried chicken at his service station in Kentucky. Using a pressure fryer to speed up cooking, he refined a recipe and business model that took off in the 1950s as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Today, there are over 25,000 KFC locations in more than 145 countries. Attempts by Black entrepreneurs to reclaim fried chicken commercially struggled to compete. That contrast is stark: the people who created and preserved the dish saw it turned into a multibillion-dollar franchise by someone who neither invented it nor carried the cultural burden it represented.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Paddy to petals: Sangrur farmer finds prosperity in marigold, has eyes set on roses
In Punjab's Pedni Kalan village in Dhuri tehsil of Sangrur district, 41-year-old Sukhdeep Singh has carved out a vibrant niche, not with MSP-backed wheat or paddy, but with marigolds. Over the past decade, he has transformed his eight-acre farm into a floriculture hub, dedicating four acres to marigold cultivation across multiple seasons and varieties, while the remaining four acres are used for wheat and paddy during the rabi and kharif seasons, respectively. With plans to diversify into rose cultivation, Sukhdeep represents a quiet yet determined shift in Punjab's farming narrative. Sukhdeep, who holds a 10+2 qualification and an ITI diploma, began experimenting with flower cultivation on just half a bigha (2.5 kanals) in 2012, inspired by relatives already involved in the flower trade. With little experience and limited market knowledge, he initially struggled, unable even to sell his first batch of flowers. However, the encouraging yield motivated him to learn more about both cultivation techniques and market dynamics. 'We started with a small area, and after gaining market knowledge, we received a good response. Our relatives not only inspired us but also helped us with cultivation and in finding markets for our flowers,' he said. 'Now, we cultivate various varieties of marigolds in different shades of yellow, from light yellow to saffron and mustard, throughout the year with proper planning and crop rotation.' Sukhdeep grows seven-eight varieties of marigolds, both summer and winter types such as Jafari (African marigold), sown in winter, and Laddu Gainda, known for its large, round blooms grown in summer. He employs seed sowing, grafting and nursery techniques at different times of the year. For instance, during January and February, he sows seeds that flower in March and April. In March, he uses grafting techniques, resulting in blooms from May to June, which continue until August. From August to December, he plants nursery-grown saplings. In favourable weather, a single marigold plant can bloom eight to ten times. His marigold calendar is finely tuned: summer varieties — around four types — are sown between January and April and begin flowering within 2 to 2.5 months of sowing, producing blooms continuously for nearly three months. Jafari varieties are primarily cultivated for the winter season. Four different types are grown between August and February. One early variety is sown in August and starts flowering from October, aligning with festive season demand during Dussehra, Diwali, and Guru Purab (birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Master and founder of Sikhism). A second variety, sown in October-November, is ideal for Lohri and the New Year. The third and fourth varieties, sown in November–December, bloom from January to April, catering to wedding season demand. 'Though the marigold cycle can span nearly five and a half months, I usually restrict each cycle to around four to four and a half months. This is because the yield drops towards the end of the season, so I uproot the crop early and replant new varieties. This allows me to grow flowers at least three times on the same field in a year, using different varieties in different plots based on market demand,' Sukhdeep said. 'I also use one acre out of the four for growing a flower nursery between July and March. The nursery is ready in just 25 days, and I raise it 7-8 times during this period to sell saplings. From January to March, I grow nursery plants for summer marigolds two to three times, and then the same field is used again for flower cultivation from April to August. So, growing flowers is a year-round task,' he added. 'For some varieties, we procure seeds from Kolkata,' he added. He says he rotates the fields for flower sowing and does not use the same plots repeatedly. Sukhdeep sells his marigolds daily to local traders and decoration shops in Sangrur, Barnala and Ludhiana, sending the flowers on buses. Despite fluctuating prices — ranging from Rs 70 – Rs 80 to Rs 200 per kg — he manages to maintain a steady profit. 'There are a few off-season phases during the year when rates can drop to Rs 5–Rs 10 per kg, but regular sowing, high prices during festivals, and yields of 60-65 quintals per acre help ensure consistent returns,' he said, adding that on average, he earns Rs40–Rs50 per kg over the year. The total expenditure per acre is around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 if the nursery is self-raised. However, if seeds are purchased from outside, the cost rises to Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre. Labour adds another Rs 10,000 per acre, making the overall cost roughly Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 per acre. Sukhdeep, along with his father and other family members, is fully involved in the day-to-day operations and providing permanent employment to three women of his village. 'On average, we earn Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per acre after expenses. If cultivated three times a year, the annual income from one acre is around Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh,' he said. 'Our income from nursery sales alone is about Rs 60,000-Rs70,000 per cycle after expenses, and with multiple sowings throughout the year, I can easily earn Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.00 lakh annually from just one acre.' He pointed out that the income from one acre of marigold cultivation is four to five times higher than the combined returns from wheat and paddy. Sukhdeep sells nursery plants through 'Nirman Flowers', a well-known name in Punjab's floriculture sector. Floriculture also proves to be far more water-efficient compared to traditional crops. 'The water required for one acre of paddy is equivalent to what we need for 10 acres of marigold,' Sukhdeep points out. This makes flower farming a sustainable option amid growing concerns over groundwater depletion in Punjab. Sukhdeep credits the state's horticulture department for supporting his venture. 'We received a 40 per cent subsidy on machinery like a rotavator and spray pump. Such schemes are encouraging,' he says. With a firm grip on marigold cultivation and nursery management, Sukhdeep is now preparing to expand into rose farming. 'I've learnt the sowing techniques for roses and will soon diversify. The market is strong, and demand continues to grow,' he adds.
India Today
4 days ago
- India Today
4 crew killed, 4 missing as oil-drilling ship capsised in Gulf of Suez
An oil-drilling ship capsized in the Gulf of Suez, killing at least four crewmen and leaving four others missing, authorities said drilling ship overturned Tuesday evening off the city of Ras Ghareb, on the African side of the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea's northwestern arm and a crucial shipping route, the Petroleum Ministry said in a statement."There were 30 workers on board when the drilling ship capsized," said Amr Hanafy, governor of the Red Sea Rescue teams recovered four bodies and rescued 22 others who were taken to hospitals, he said ships from the Egyptian navy joined the search-and-rescue efforts which were still ongoing overnight for four missing capsizing happened in an area called Gabel el-Zeit, a prominent Egyptian oil production site around 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of the Suez Canal, the ministry said in a capsizing was unlikely to cause disruption to vessels transiting through the canal, which links the Gulf of Suez to the Mediterranean Sea.- Ends
